The Security Impact of IPv6

IPv6 is more then just lots of addresses. IPv6 is protocol moving IP into the modern world of gigabit networks connecting billions of machines with gigabytes of RAM. In many ways, this transition is similar to the "DC" to "AC" conversion in the electric world. While we still use DC in many places, AC has shown to be more flexible and scalable. Its initial adoption was hindered by security concerns, and DC supporters like Edison went to great lengths to demonstrate the security problems by stealing pets and electrocuting them in public displays. The fear of IPv6 is in many ways a fear of the unknown. IPv6 has some inherent risks, in particular if the protocols opportunities are not well understood, and IPv4 thinking is applied to its deployment. We will discuss the impact of IPv6 on security architecture, intrusion detection, and network forensics, without harming anybody's pet.